cheap and easy LEGO storage options
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My seven-year-old is a LEGO fanatic, and over the last couple of years we have amassed a huge collection of them. If you’ve ever stepped on a LEGO in bare feet then you know the importance of having someplace safe, secure, and off the floor to store and organize the little buggers.

We’ve tried practically every product on the market that’s designed for Legos (okay, so technically I’m pretty sure that the plural of LEGO is just LEGO, but that sounds awkward to me, so I’m sticking with “Legos”), and nothing was cutting it. All of the Legos would inevitably end up in a pile or a single oversized bin on the desktop, which led right back to them being all over the floor. Ouch!

storage bins full of color assorted legos

We were desperate for a solution that would work for us, so we stopped looking at toy stores and specialty catalogs and turned to our neighborhood do-it-yourself store. I’m not sure why we didn’t look there in the first place! We’ve had these hardware storage bins in place for awhile now, but I wanted to test them out for a good length of time before I could confidently report that they work like a dream!

storage pins full of lego pieces

We bought several 6-packs of Black storage binsblack plastic hanging storage bins and the metal rail to hang them – the entire set up cost less than $50! We sorted the top row by color (red, blue, yellow/orange, green, grey, and black/brown) and the bottom row is organized by use (1-piecers, 2-piecers, mini figures, wheels, mini base plates, etc.).

bin full of red lego pieces

The bins aren’t huge, but they still hold a lot of Legos! My favorite part is that they are removable from the rail so that the kids can easily take them off and find what they’re looking for.

lego cars displayed on shelves

We also installed shelves above the bins so that Sawyer can display all of his favorite models. He likes to build them and display them for awhile before disassembling them and making up his own creations.

children working on legos in room

Okay, so in the big picture you can see that we DO still have a big bin of Legos on the table too. That’s where Sawyer puts his recently disassembled models that are waiting to be sorted into the bins. We’ve actually collected so many sets now that I’m contemplating buying 12 more bins and filling up the entire wall above the table with them!

Image of text that says Heidi

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19 Comments

  1. Where did you get the shelving? Is that from Home Depot as well? Looks fantastic! My boys have huge LEGO models that wouldn’t fit on standard size shelves. Thanks!

  2. Thank you for posting this awesome idea! I was looking at options on how to organize our son’s Lego collection. We have turned a room in our basement into a Game room so we are going to implement these bins in this room. I noticed that somewhat asked about the rails…the link you have with the bins from Home Depot that you bought includes the rails as well if you read the description. So there is no need to purchase hanging rails separately. 🙂

  3. oh my gosh!!! I have been looking for tips to organize Legos!!! Your son and mine could be twins!!!! My son is 7 and has a HUGE amount of Legos, and never wants to break apart his “creations”….this shelving is a great idea!!!! And maybe I can make more space by getting rid of his huge table in the middle of his room. You’re awesome!!!

  4. Your son’s collectionis nothing compared to my house. My son started collecting Legos 40 years ago. Hee still has them all and occasionally acquires some of the new ones. They are all in my house so my 40 something kid can build crreations with he neice and nephew when they are all here. Of course, my grandchildren have their own huge collections. I dread if they make a Monster High themed set!

    1. The bins and rails are all from Home Depot – I can’t find the rails on their website anymore, but it is similar to this one on Amazon!

  5. I love these! The fact that they are open and so easy to access means they will be easier for my son to put things back!

    1. Thanks, Kelley! Making sure that it was EASY for my boys to clean up and organize the Legos themselves was my #1 priority! 🙂

  6. I too am interested in how you hang the bins on the metal track. I have two grandsons (8 and 5) who are obsessed with the legos and their mama is getting swallowed up with them spilling out into the living room and taking over the whole house.

    Thanks,
    Bonnie

    1. Thanks, Bonnie! The bins and track are both from Home Depot. I don’t see the rails listed on their website to give you an idea of what it looks like, but it is nearly identical to this set of bins and rails on Amazon here (click to take a peek at the photos, and you can see how the bins slide on to the top of the rail – the plastic “clip” piece on the back of the bin slips over the top of the rail). 🙂

  7. How do the bins hold up against “wild boys”? I’m thinking of putting them in the basement with the desk underneath and am worried about balls or other assorted “flying objects” hitting the bins and knocking them off the walls… Have you had this experience? This looks like the best option for our thousands of Legos!

    1. Hi Jenny! Our bins have held up really well with my three boys, and they’re definitely a “wild bunch!” The bins ARE removable from the rail, so a good hit from a heavy flying object might possibly be able to knock one off, but it would have to be a direct and HARD hit. I’ve actually never had that happen, and ours have really handled the heavy use super well!

  8. We are trying to recreate this for our boys but we have to order the supplies online. Do you know specifically which metal track system you used?

    1. I do not know off-hand, but I will ask my husband tonight when he gets home from work since the what-we-used specifics is more his specialty than mine 🙂

  9. I love this. I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old that love Legos. Where did you get the desk? Is it short for smaller kids?

    1. We got it at Ikea about 12 years ago, and it’s still going strong! It has adjustable legs, so we made it a bit lower for the kiddos 🙂

  10. You’ve created an all-out Lego paradise! Beautifully organized and maximized for creativity!!

    Jenn

  11. Love this! What a great idea and the way that you have it set up is so cool. I love the display shelves so he can save his creations. My daughter always wants to leave her latest lego creation out, but I have a little one that likes to put stuff in his mouth. Thanks for sharing!